At the Movies with Kane and BN

[Kane52630]

Red Rocket

More movies should open and close to NSYNC's Bye Bye Bye.

Sean Baker does it again. Like with The Florida Project, he's able to crack open a part of America that fell by the wayside due to the economy or proximity to something more popular and uses it to tell a very fascinating character drama with some humor. He's able to find the right people to make this movie seem incredibly believable. Simon Rex plays a f**k up male pornstar coming back home and he does a masterful job balancing being a disgusting dirtbag you don't wanna root for and a charismatic underdog who can't get his sh** together who you kinda root for. They do a great job setting up the pieces in the plot that will eventually fall on his face. Suzanna Son is also incredible in this and you can see her be a bigger star after this. The themes and subtext are also apparent as it mirrors and relates to a certain big man with little hands with an orange face. Overall, it's a phenomenal portrait of a f**k up and a small town down on its luck and it's easily one of the best films of the year.
4.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Licorice Pizza

This had more running than a Tom Cruise movie.

This is essentially Paul Thomas Anderson's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood where it's his love letter to the San Fernando Valley in the 70s that uses inspirations from American Graffiti, Dazed and Confused, and Almost Famous to tell this coming of age story. It's got great performances by Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman who play off each other pretty well. Bradley Cooper pretty much steals the movie once he shows up as off-of-his-sh**s Jon Peters. And one big complaint I have is I wish he was involved with the plot more (And no mention of his weird love of spiders? shame). Production wise, I really love the attention to detail to certain moments and sets/outfits. All that being said, the movie operates in a almost structureless plot that sprawl throughout the movie and while it kinda works, I thought towards the end, it started rambling big time before the credits roll. Overall, a solid coming of age movie that could have been a little better.
4/5

 

[Kane52630]

Reno 911! The Hunt for QAnon

Love seeing these idiots again after so many years, but this was kinda a letdown. They had a great idea, but they ultimately went lazy on the execution. It's more or less an extended episode of the show only they run out of material fast. A lot of the jokes are more misses than hits and the comedian cameos try to help make this work. Overall, pretty meh.
2/5

 

[Kane52630]

South of Heaven

A very typical crime drama/thriller with some love of 70s cinema. It kinda reminds me other movies like Cold in July and Cut Bank, but not as well made as those. It's one of those movies where you get where it's trying to be tonally and thematically, but it just falls off the mark and the performances are scattershot between stale and melodramatic. I do think Jason Sudeikis was trying here and it was obvious he was trying to pull a Bryan Cranston/Jason Bateman-like performance. At its best, the movie really works when it gets to the thick of it in the action department towards the end of the movie. Overall, while I enjoyed some of it, the sloppiness of the story and tone keeps me away from really loving this.
2.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Don't Look Up

Even a bad Tyler Perry wig couldn't stop Rob Morgan from acting his ass off.

It's a mostly fun political satire from Adam McKay that is as blunt and in your face as his last two films. It uses direct correlations of the pandemic to fuel this world ending asteroid plot even down to similar scenarios. I probably enjoyed the first half of the movie a lot more as the it follows Jennifer Lawrence and DiCaprio from discovering the findings all the way to the media/government circus that goes out of control. Both of them did a great job chewing scenery and they really throw themselves into the role. You can tell Adam McKay was trying to go for something like Dr Strangelove and Idiocracy, but the problem with that is it tries to be too timely and current that it loses some of its staying power. The length is probably the biggest issue I have with this, it felt like they started losing the plot midway through. Overall, while I totally get the message was incredibly heavy handed and celebrityness of the movie was obnoxious and overly-righteous, I did still find myself enjoying most of it just as a comedy.
3.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Mass

A phenomenal drama about the aftermath of a tragedy that is completely carried by the actors performance. I don't want to give away much with the plot because the director Fran Kranz does a great job leaving you breadcrumbs in the first act to let you figure out the big picture of what's going on. It all makes for a well directed bottle film that keeps you invested the entire time even if it's just four people in a room talking. They give Jason Isaacs, Martha Plimpton, Reed Birney, and Ann Dowd each a moment where they shine and deliver some heart wrenching dialogue. It was also smart of them giving Breeda Wool some much needed light humor before and after the big meeting. Overall, it's one hell of a debut for Fran Kranz who will hopefully be known more than just being that high dude from Cabin in the Woods.
4/5

 

[Kane52630]

Encanto

A decent animated Disney flick that deals with generational trauma with a message and some fun moments, but uses a lot of the same old Disney playbook that doesn't feel as fresh as it should be. It oddly feels like X-Men meets an episode of a family sitcom from the 90s where they learn a lesson. As always, I'm impressed by the CG from Disney and this is no exception. They do a great job with the subtle ticks and movements that make all the scenes even more lifelike. All that being said, I feel like this would have been better without the musical number at every other scene. It just like it bogged down the story and give Lin Manuel more songs to write. Overall, it's somewhat enjoyable but quite repetitive.
3/5

 

[Kane52630]

Separation

For a dark fairy tale, I'll give it this, I dug the ambition to make this visually and thematically somewhere between a James Wan movie and a Guillermo del Toro movie... especially coming from the guy who directed two terrible The Boy movies. That being said, it's one of those horror movies that forgets to be a horror movie and they focused on the melodrama so much to a fault. There's some spotty performances throughout this and I thought the ending was pretty terrible. Overall, despite some cool and creepy looking jesters poplocking, this was a miss.
2/5

 

[Kane52630]

Joe Bell

I can't tell if this movie was supposed to be a SNL skit or a bad after school special from the 90s about anti-bullying and being gay. Either way, you can tell this was trying to be well intention but the execution was so off the mark it almost felt like it tried to be a comedy. Almost everyone played up to their stereotype except for Mark Wahlberg who feels so out of place character and accent wise. Overall, while I didn't hate it, it's a swing and a miss.
2/5

 

[Kane52630]

Midnight in the Switchgrass

I had to check like 5 times to see if Frank Miller was involved somehow. It's a crime thriller that deals with prostitutes, a sex-trafficking ring, a serial killer, and a trio of detectives that are full of cliches and bad line readings. The chemistry between Megan Fox and Bruce Willis is exactly the opposite of electric, it's so incredibly dull and flat. They try to do give Emile Hirsch a little bit more depth, but it never really works. Lukas Haas plays the serial killer and he feels like he's in a different movie at times. At times the movie becomes somewhat stylized with several needle drops, but it all comes off as corny. Overall, pretty forgettable.
1.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Shiva Baby

Uncut Gems if it was more like an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm.

It's a anxiety inducing character drama that all takes place at a shiva where things go out of hand. They do a great job finding the uneasiness and awkwardness at family gatherings. I thought Rachel Sennott was phenomenal in this and I really dug her relationship with Molly Gordon. It's one of those movies where you watch how the main character keeps digging themselves deeper in the hole and stuff starts to unravel. Overall, a great showcase of domestic chaos.
4/5

 

[Kane52630]

The Nowhere Inn

A really fun and creative mockumentary on St. Vincent that tries to be meta and jokes on artist fame bulls**t while also being a concert film. Just with the style of it all, it's very experimental and it's without question very lynchian in how it's made and executed. St. Vincent herself is really good in here especially for someone who hasn't really acted before and her relationship with Carrie Brownstein is pretty well done. There's also a fun Dakota Johnson performance in here that works. Overall, it's a solid mockumentary that ventures into experimental that puts St. Vincent's personal life and fame life on display.
4/5

 

[Kane52630]

The Boss Baby: Family Business

0.5/5

 

[Black Narcissus]

Hardcore

Written and directed by Paul Schradder.

A tight religious man goes deep into California's underground adult entertainment world to look for his runaway daughter.

I'm trying to think of another 70s era film that showed nudity and somewhat explicit sex scenes like this. It was chosen as one of the worst films of that year, but it has come to have a sort of cult following on video in the 90s. George C. Scott tried to quit many times as he never read in full the script, and didn't like how Schradder directed, even go as far to pleading with Schradder to never direct again in his life, which Schradder promised, but obviously didn't keep. Peter Boyle has always been one of them odd- not good guy types that comes on screen and the viewer doesn't know to trust or hate him, perhaps both. A great actor, but mostly known the main audiences as Ray Romano's dad.

Also, there is no way in hell this wasn't a HUGE inspiration for the Nic Cage flick 8mm. No way in hell.

4/5

 

[Kane52630]

The King's Man

This movie answers the question, what if WWI was more like the Super Friends but rated R?

It's a weird hodgepodge of fantasy history with a James Bond movie that only Matthew Vaughn can make. One of the problems I have is it doesn't really settle on a single tone as it goes wildly from cartoonish Alan Moore Rasputin kicking ass to a emotional WWI drama that also becomes a spy thriller. That being said, I did enjoy parts of the movie that are isolated from the rest of the movie like the scenes in the trenches or the scenes where they straight up copy the Legion of Doom. I thought Ralph Fiennes did a solid job and is probably the only character in the movie that remains constant through the various tones. Overall, while it's an improvement over the last Kingsman movie, it's still fails on fixing the problems that exist in almost every Matthew Vaughn movie.
2.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

The Lost Daughter

Not bad for Maggie Gyllenhaal's directorial debut. It's a slow build observational character drama that look inside motherhood struggles through a holiday vacation set up in Greece. The movie is pretty much built on three very strong performances by Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, and Dakota Johnson who all have their moment to shine. I do like how they insert some seedy tension where you are absolutely expecting the worse throughout most of the movie. The only thing that kinda takes this down a notch is the resolution wasn't as satisfying as it was built up towards, you kinda wanted a little bit more. Overall, solid stuff.
3.5/5

 

[Black Narcissus]

Irréversible

Written and directed by Gaspar Noe. A rewatch.

Starring (real life partners at that time)Monica Bellucci and Vincent Cassel. This is one of those difficult films to see a second time. I had seen it for the first time many years ago. One of those great but never rewatching again flicks, but read a recent Monica Bellucci interview where she stated this is far more hard hitting now in a 'Metoo' movement and everything going on in hollywood etc. So! A rewatch we go. I felt like had taken a few shots of jack in the opening sequence alone, disorientating and even a bit nauseating to watch, hell of a camera movement. Noe has stated that he was high on cocaine while filming this opening club sequence and it bloody shows. Bellucci has always been beautiful to watch in a sexy fatale kind of way, but here she is vulnerable and brave. When that scene happens and it goes long for what feels like forever, one has to applaude her performance there. It was initially a lot shorter and a bit less graphic, but Bellucci insisted in showing the horror real women have gone through in similar events. This also has a very clear depiction of the toxic male gaze and actions. Seeking revenge rather than being with her, while she lingers in death on a ride to the hospital. A beautiful tragic film.

 

[3rdstone]

I can't believe it's almost 20 years since I watched this. Yeah that particular scene is truly horrifying, and goes on like forever.

 

[Black Narcissus]

Mermaid Legend

Man, I can't tell you how happy it makes me finding a gem like this. A film which certainly inspired the likes of Old Boy/Lady Vengeance and plenty of revenge plot type flicks. A woman is left for dead after her husband is murdered. The last act of this is completely wild, all one needs is a home made type pitchfork and the blood flows. Tone shift, to the score, and the ending, it simply works. I'm eager to go into the rabbit hole of Toshiharu Ikeda filmmography, but it was also a bummer to read he had passed away due to his severe depression.

4/5

 

[Kane52630]

Annette

I need Baby Annette to fight Chucky in the Octagon.

It's such a bizarre musical (or rock opera as some described) that ventures into black comedy and psychological drama and I gotta admit, I was entertained. There's some definite David Lynch vibes throughout this and while you kinda get where this goes, the journey still remains to be creepy and hilarious while dissecting celebrity culture. Adam Driver continues to pick some of the more interesting roles that challenge his range and this is no exception. I thought Marion Cotillard did a good job even though they didn't put as much focus on her character as one would think. The main thing that brings this movie down is the 2+ hour runtime that makes a lot of the scenes feel bloated and slow at times. Overall, while I got some issues with it, I love the WTFness of it all.
3.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Scream

Ah yes, the true villains, letterboxd users and requels.

It's a solid bounce back for the franchise that pays tribute to Wes Craven and the original scream. The guys from Radio Silence did a great job putting together something only fans of the series would make and make competently. The opening is a straight homage of the original opening with some updated material and references and it's easily the best scene in the movie. Really liked the new cast this time around and I liked how limited they used the original cast and give some great moments especially for David Arquette as Dewey. Some of the kills are pretty well done and I like they don't shy away the camera on some of the stabs. I will say, while I like how the movie spends more time on the meta references, the commentary on the current state of horror, and the callbacks... It loses a lot of originality and scares because you know exactly where this movie is headed and figured out who is the killer so early in the game. Overall, while it does a lot of patting itself on the back for being self aware that it's a requel, I still did enjoy most of the movie.
3.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Sing 2

I suppose it was decent for a sequel of an animated karaoke movie. It's the equivalent of getting fast food and the food didn't get cold on the way home. This does the bare minimum and its okay with it. It continues where the last one left off and this time they try to get a Vegas show up and running while trying to get a big name to join (in this case Bono as a lion). Overall, while it does everything you expect a sequel to do, I still thought the story was engaging enough and it's still far better than other kid karaoke movies like Alvin and the Chipmunks.
2.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

India Sweets and Spices

I like the attempt it's trying to make, but it fell short. I feel like they were trying to make Crazy Rich Asians for the South Asian community in America, but they forgot it needed a big budget to pull it off so the movie stays stuck in the rich suburbs. A lot of the filmmaking unfortunately feels like a cheap Indian soap opera which is ironic considering they had a scene where they made fun it. All that being said, the one thing that kinda holds the movie together was Sophia Ali's performance. Overall, while it's not totally terrible, this could have been so much better with a better script and budget.
2.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

The Tragedy of Macbeth

The 3rd act of this was pretty much Alonzo spitting Shakespeare and it was glorious.

Joel Coen manages to make a visually unique adaptation of Macbeth that uses minimalist designs and shots that kinda harken back to the 20s and 30s era of cinema under modern day filmmaking techniques that makes a lot of the scenes feel dreamlike. It actually makes the performances stand out much more because you don't have that much of a distraction in the frame. And because it's Shakespeare, the movie almost feels like a breeze for certain actors like Denzel and Frances McDormand who have done theater several times. I thought the rest of the cast did a pretty good job especially Corey Hawkins, Harry Melling, and Alex Hassell. Overall, while this is the yet another Macbeth adaption, this probably is the most visually striking one in decades.
4/5

 

[Kane52630]

Thunder Force

Damn, they really did ruin Glenn Frey for me.

It's a superhero comedy that is trying to appeal to every demographic, but it ends up appealing to noone. Even Melissa McCarthy and Octavia Spencer's chemistry does come through as genuine, they absolutely don't know what to do with it after the opening act. The overall story and the jokes are so incredibly lazy and generic you can figure out what they're gonna say and do miles way. The only one who tried to salvage what's there is Jason Bateman (who has crab arms) and he pretty much does what Jason Bateman usually do in a comedy. Overall, a painful comedy to sit through. It's one of those movies like My Super Ex-Girlfriend that are made by people who only has a basic knowledge of what people like about superheroes and ran with it.
1/5